Blue Ridge, VA Weekend Q and Get together May 17th - 19th

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Heading out to the cabin tomorrow & will be staining so it looks great for the Q.  I actually wanted to do it last fall but had to bump it to the springtime which was fine.  Instead of the fall foliage all the trees are bright green right now.  Gonna take a scenic view route the next few days which is a gravel road over the range that starts at the base of the river.  This time of year I watch how the green starts on the other side of Afton Mountain & comes our way.  My slower version of time lapse photography I guess. 

Anyway I will get some pics of the inside & a few landmarks along the way to help with finding it.  Perfect directions are really important to have because if you are lost you can't call me.  If you are going to use any gps device make sure it actually has "Echols Ln, Goshen Va" or maybe you can update the software.  Feel free to stop & ask folks if you need to.  They will more than likely help ya out.  Out there its known as the Echols Camp off Marble Valley Rd.
 
Well...H nS,I spent a lot of time typin and talking about how much it meant to me that

you "GOT IT" when it came to having "ole" people in our lives (the "prison" reference couldn't have been more better on the mark).  But then, as is happening NOW ....website won 't let me make paragraphs (thnk it's cuz Ive got OLD programs...like EX8) and now I find that ALL that I typed BEFORE...saying THANK YOU for understanding and for relating to what I was goin thru....   well, it all disappeared.  So, as I think I'd said before, my old dinosaru PC just isin't happy on this website???  I dunno.  But if I get nuthing outta this conversation, I am thanking you for "GETTING" the 'feeling like in prison" experience situation experience...and was trying to say MORE to thank you for relating.....but the more I type, the more it wants to 'erase', so can't guarantee how much you can rea
 
With the past few days of rain the river was running high & fast today.  On your way here please heed the high water signs especially if coming from the north.  There are several areas where water falls or streams will pop up along the roadside when there has been heavy rain & it either collects or washes over the road.  There is actually a small waterfall that pops up on that cliff along the river & it was gushing today.  When its dry its a trickle. 

Some friends of the Echol's family were out there today having lunch.  They had a woman visiting from Australia joining them & she had never fired a gun before.  We took care of that & she was a great shot.  She also made Australian sausage rolls for lunch & they were outstanding!  David, who drove them all from Lynchburg, might join us on Saturday. 
 
We will definitely watch out for the high water. We will be towing in 4x4H so if needed we can put it in 4x4L an dshould be OK as long as no swift or deep water. Weather is saying a bit more rain coming but then should dry out for a few days so we should be just fine. 

Is the cabin on septic or sewer? (Need to bring the correct type TP) 

Very excited about the trip and can't wait. We are doing a costco run this weekend for staples and other stuff to bring. Will stop on the way out as well and fill the big cooler up with ice. Sounds like we are going to have a pretty decent amount of folks potentially. But even if its just a handful it will be a great weekend. I will bring my camera as well so we can post pics on the forum. 
 
Bonnie I am still waiting on a final head count from people that I invited. So far there are not a whole bunch of people staying the weekend at the cabin.  I am sure a few people that I know locally will be spending Saturday there & going back home after dinner or later.  I did invite my step sister from Mount Jackson & she could come down with her husband & some of their kids.....who might bring their boy or girlfriend.  If they come there is a good chance my step dad will make it for Saturday.  So that could be a lot of people or not.  Neither is bad its just trying to figure out how much stuff/food to bring. 

Did someone say they had a deep fryer?  I was going to bring a large electric griddle for breakfast stuff.  As far as what you could bring bonnie I would first just think about what you & your friend require.  Like I know I will have stuff to make tea cause thats what I drink so if you like Dr Pepper I would make sure you have that covered.  If your planning on making a dish or something on the smoker just make sure you have the stuff to make it.  I think as far as things like foil & plates it wouldn't hurt to bring a lil.  I know paper towels will be handy so I plan on bringing a few rolls....... oh & toilet paper :)  Bring a chair for sure!  I am gonna be packing similar to when I go camping.

Oh we will have to clean up before we leave so its ready for the next group. 
I have a turkey fryer if you want I can bring that as well. Can be used as a deep frier and I have about 10 Gallons of peanut oil. Must have missed this part of the post earlier. 
 
I think I mentioned TP in an earlier thread lol!  Anyway Ernie has never said anything about what kind of TP to use.  Normally there is some extra left behind from others.  That just sounded wrong!  I have seen all the major brands go down the toilet.  Our for sure head count is Me, Doug, his wife & son, my friend Tony & one lady coming just for dinner.  Mt friend Angela is going to try to get off work early & come out for dinner & might have her daughters & their husband/boyfriend.  Haven't heard from family in Mt Jackson & kinda think thats a no show.  Still not sure about Bonnie & her friend. 

Like I said before I was expecting there to be a good crowd just from the forums so I didn't invite people until a couple weeks ago & lots of them already had plans.  I will be bringing my vacuum sealer for the left overs.  If I have left over pulled pork or ribs its nice to have some in the freezer for some Q-Joy on a rainy day.
 
 
Sometimes I get weird feelings & thats why I posted yesterday to heed the high water signs.  Today on my way out to the cabin I was passed by a state trooper & a rescue squad volunteer.  I was 25 miles away from the cabin at that point.  I came up to the part where you see the high water signs about 12 miles from the cabin & on a blind curve with a rock face on one side & river on the other there was an accident.  It wasn't good.  A young girl in a small red car was coming around a corner in was a lil in the opposite lane & hit a cattle truck head on.  I waited there for 30 minutes & they still didn't have the girl out of the car.  So I turned around & was then blocked by the Pegasus EMT helicopter which landed in the road.  I haven't found any reports yet but will check the papers tomorrow.  All that said its just a smart idea to follow the speed limits on these windy back roads.  Some areas are prone to falling rocks & its common for deer to come outta nowhere & in the road.  Just be extra careful :)
 
Will do. We are towing so we will be going no faster than posted and in some cases a bit slower. Not wise to go speeding around with a loaded truck and a trailer weighing 3500Lbs. I do hope the girl will be ok. That is so sad to hear of. We are going to be hitting the road at about 3PM so we should be there around 9pm or possibly a bit earlier just factoring in fuel stops and lower speeds with the towing. 
 
I talked to a trooper that was there & he said she was going to be ok but was hurt pretty bad.  Oh I also talked to Ernie Echols about the fishing in that river.  He said that a fella up the river usually stocks it ever years & they do find their way downstream.  Ricky Echols works for inland fisheries & has also stocked it a few times so lets hope you get some bites!  The volume is getting a little less every day after some heavy rain & its running crystal clear right now.
 
Nice. Catching is always better than fishing but either way its never a bad time just casting a line into the water. We have our list all made up and will be packing Thursday so we can get out quickly after Nick finishes school. We are all very excited about coming up and having a great weekend. 
 
I neglected to mention the pond  which is across the pasture.  Its got large mouth bass but lots of lily pads.  Ernie came out & mowed today so its all looking really nice.  I also took some pics of the inside & will post those tomorrow night when I get back to the beach.  The Pegasus helicopter was out there again today in almost the same place.  Looks like they were just picking up someone from an ambulance that was in an accident elsewhere.

Here is the tail end of a storm that passed over the cabin a couple days ago.  The weather forecast is calling for 20% chance of scattered showers & storms all weekend.  Good thing is that if it does rain it will pass quick & you might get a picture like this.  Or you might get to see that & it doesn't rain at all.  The mountains make it very hard to predict weather accurately so I am not worried.  Plus we are both bringing canopies, there is a large screened in porch & a few decks of cards.  Temps will be down to mid 50s & 60s Friday & Saturday night & we can always build a fire inside to take the chill off. 

 
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Can't wait. We can also do a nice outside fire and sit around and tell lies ... err. I mean stories 
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 about life. If no rain I would always prefer to light an outside fire and sit around just staring at the stars. 

I wanted to say thank you again for having us up. This is going to be a fun trip with lots of food and undoubtedly some new friends! 
 
I enjoyed reading this five page thread.  I wish I could go.  Nothing like a spring bbq themed camping trip.  It would be pointless for me to tell everyone to have fun since everything has been thoroughly planned out..............o.k. have fun!  Be sure to post pics and Q-Views.

-Kurt
 
smokinclt here are some important pics.  This is the top of Echol's Ln & Marble Valley Rd.  That is the white house that you will drive on by & a metal barn down to the left.  The cattle are in another paddock & the gates have been left open past few days.  If they were open when you came through then no need to close them. 


Here is the street sign but a lil blurry cause my camera sucks.


I suspect you will be coming from the road there to the right which is Marble Valley Rd.  If you are coming around 9pm it will be dark.  I will try to get a glow stick to hang on the sign.
 
Looks amazing. We are packing up and getting all ready. We will hopefully make better time and miss traffic so we can get there before dark. If not a glowstick would be awesome. We are going to be using GPS and maps just in case but any bit of help would be great. See you tomorrow.
 
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